By Bob Fromer
Prague, Czech Republic: July 10 – The GB Women's Fastpitch Team took care of business this evening at the European Women's Championships in Prague with an efficient 8-0 mercy rule playoff win over Spain.
GB was then hoping that Italy, as usual would beat the Czech Republic in the last game of the day, setting up the clash between GB and the Czech at 1.30 pm on Thursday as a decider for a place in next year's World Championships in Holland.
But the best-laid plans go aft astray, and the Czechs dug out a 4-3 walk-off win over Italy in the bottom of the seventh inning. So if GB beats the Czechs tomorrow, it's going to come down to runs conceded among the three teams – and GB gave up seven runs to Italy earlier today (see below).
Routine win
Carling Hare pitched a complete-game five-inning shutout against Spain this evening, giving up only two hits. Although she struggled with control early on, and Spain left four runners on base over the first two innings, Carling got stronger from the third inning onwards and faced only ten batters over the last three innings, giving up only a fifth-inning two-out single to Spanish catcher Jessie Iborra during that time.
Way back in 2001, GB Softball sent a very raw team of Under-16s to the ISF Junior World Cup of Softball in Plant City, Florida. Two players from the current GB squad, Laura Thompson and Jenny Ball, were on that team – and so was Jessie Iborra! Jessie and her sister wrote from Spain to say that they had heard GB was sending a team to the event, and could they come along as players? And they did.
So there was a little irony in the fact that in three good at-bats this evening leading off for Spain, Jessie Iborra hit two line drives caught by Laura Thompson – and then finally dumped a single in front of her in the top of the fifth.
Chiya to the rescue
Chiya Louie provided much of the offensive spark for GB. She hit a bases-loaded double to right-centre field with two out in the top of the first inning to get the scoring started and take a lot of pressure off the game. In the third inning, Chiya doubled to left centre and scored and she added a single in the fourth for a 3-for-3 night.
Amy Moore added two hits and drove in a pair of runs in the third inning, Alicja Wolny doubled in GB's final run in the fifth, Sarah Craig and Kori Waugh both had doubles and catcher Steph Pearce chipped in with two singles and a run scored.
After the first inning, when GB took a 4-0 lead, the game was never really in doubt. GB did not commit an error, and Laura Thompson and Karlene Headley-Cooper both made nice catches in the outfield.
Towards the end of the game, played on Pitch B at Svoboda Park, it was clear that all the action was over on Pitch A, where a crowd of at least a couple of thousand was watching the Czechs and Italy. Having done their job against Spain, the GB Team was looking for Italy to do the same against the Czechs - but sadly, it was not to be.
GB v Italy
Earlier in the day, GB had lost 7-0 to Italy in the first of three playoff games that GB was scheduled to play in the second round at the European Women's Championships.
But the team knew that wins in the remaining two games against Spain and the Czech Republic could achieve the GB goal of qualification for next year's World Championships in Holland.
Even game
GB's only-ever win over Italy came in an invitational Cup tournament in Sardinia in 2006, but over recent years there have been a continuous stream of one-run Italian wins when the teams have met at European Championships.
This game started out as another tight affair, with the score at 0-0 after three innings.
For GB, Carling Hare had an excellent start to the game, holding the Italians to two infield singles over the first three frames.
In the Italian third inning, however, with Irene Barone on second base and two out, Italian second base player Sandra Bosdachin smashed a wicked line drive that was headed for the gap in right-centre field before Sarah Jones at second base flung up her glove and snagged it.
After yesterday's offensive pyrotechnics against Russia, the GB bats were silent in this game against Italian starter Greta Cecchetti, one of three sisters on the Italian team. GB's only baserunner over the first three innings was Alicja Wolny, who was was hit high in the back by the first pitch she saw from Cecchetti – a pitch that looked suspiciously like a warning after Alicja's big day yesterday against Russia. In her next at bat, Alicja received another fast ball up and in from the Italian pitcher.
Italy strikes
Mindful of the two playoff games still to come, which in theory might be more winnable, GB Head Coach Hayley Scott pulled Carling Hare from the game after the Italians batted in the third inning, and Kori Waugh came out to pitch for GB in the fourth.
Kori threw out the first batter she faced on a bouncer back to the pitcher, but then Ilaria Pino singled to left. Priscilla Brandi hit a long drive towards the fence in right centre field, but Karlene Headley-Cooper managed to get there and make a fine catch for the second out.
It was a long time, though, before the third out came along.
Giulia Longhi hit a deep fly to left field and Naomi Jones didn't get a very good read on the ball. It sailed over her head, and Ilario Pino came around to score the first Italian run. Then Lara Buila singled to centre, scoring Longhi and Valeria Bortolomai doubled down the third base line. When the ball was bobbled in left field, Buila scored to give Italy a 3-0 lead.
Out came Kori Waugh and in to pitch came her younger sister Keeli, but Keeli walked the first three batters she faced, though some of the calls looked a little harsh. The third walk, to Sandra Bosdachin, brought in the fourth Italian run and then, with the bases loaded, Andrea Montanari hit a line drive to right field that Laura Thompson dived for, but the ball rolled out of her glove as she hit the ground.
That brought in three more runs and, though Montanari was picked off rounding second base on her hit to end the inning, the Italians had a potential mercy rule scoreline of 7-0 with GB coming to bat in the top of the fifth.
Empty threat
And that was when GB mounted their only threat of the game and got their lone hit.
Chiya Louie was hit by a change-up to lead off the inning. Karlene Headley-Cooper hit a soft line drive to the shortstop, Naomi Jones walked, designated player Nicole Ratel struck out, but Sarah Jones punched a little single up the middle. Chiya Louie rounded third and then hesitated, maybe remembering that she had been thrown out at the plate yesterday against the Russians.
In any event, she failed to score and Amy Moore flew out to centre field to end the game.
Looking ahead
GB was not too distraught over this loss, but the focus turned immediately to those two remaining second round games that would make or break GB's chances of qualifying for their third straight World Championships.
Spain, the opponent that GB mercy-ruled in the evening, had finished second behind the Netherlands in the four-team Pool B, with wins over two relatively weak countries, Croatia and Slovakia.
The host Czech Republic was unbeaten at the top of Pool A, but was challenged only by Austria, who held the Czechs to a 3-0 win before the Czechs piled up mercy-rule victories over Belgium, Switzerland and Hungary.
So the Czechs went into the playoffs untested against a quality team, whereas GB had to play both Russia and Germany in the first round.
Good statistics
Leaving aside today's game against Italy, GB's offensive displays in their four group games – including two games against strong teams – have given them a number of players in the top ten in tournament stats.
At the conclusion of the first round-robin, GB's Amy Moore was third in batting average at .700 and second in on-base percentage at .786.
Chiya Louie was fourth in batting average at .636, ninth in on-base percentage (.636), second in slugging percentage (1.000), third in RBIs with seven and first in total bases with 11.
Alicja Wolny was second in RBIs for the first round with 8, tied for second with Chiya for slugging percentage (1.000), seventh in batting average (.556) and eighth in on-base percentage (.636).
Sarah Craig was eighth in RBIs with five.
Today's results
Results so far today in the second round are as follows (Groups E and F are the playoff groups; Groups G, H and I are the consolation groups):
Group E
Italy 7, GB 0
GB 8, Spain 0
Czech Republic 4, Italy 3
Group F
Russia 1, Sweden 0
Netherlands 19, Sweden 0
Russia v Austria
Group G
Belgium 9, Denmark 2
Slovakia 6, Denmark 2
Belgium 1, Poland 0
Group H
Ukraine 13, Croatia 6
Germany 7, Switzerland 0
Group I
France 8, Hungary 0
First round groups
The final standings for the initial round-robin groups was as follows:
Group A
Czech Republic (4-0)
Austria (3-1)
Belgium (2-2)
Switzerland (1-3)
Hungary (0-4)
Group B
Netherlands (3-0)
Spain (2-1)
Croatia (1-2)
Slovakia (0-3)
Group C
Russia (4-0)
GB (3-1)
Germany (2-2)
Denmark (1-3)
Israel (0-4)
Group D
Italy (4-0)
Sweden (3-1)
Poland (1-3)
Ukraine (1-3)
France (1-3)